ignition issue

[raycow]

I'm glad to hear you have both problems fixed, at least for the time being. Don't worry too much about the wrong type of wire affecting the vacuum advance significantly. The vacuum unit can exert quite a bit of force on the breaker plate.

A more important concern is how well the wire will withstand repeated flexing over time. Even the correct wire can be expected to need replacement after a few sets of points. It was never intended to last forever. You may not be aware that the breaker plate has a ground wire which is also subject to the same flexing, so it might be a good idea to check the condition of that one too.

It is entirely normal for the timing to need adjustment after replacing the points. With today's fuel you can usually run more advance than the factory specs. As long as the engine doesn't ping when under load or try to kick back when starting it hot, you should be ok.

Ray

['51 Special]

Ray-
I had thought of the flexing consideration, as the connector lead wire was frayed near the tab that connected to the points, and broke when I was carrying it around looking for appropriate wire. I had not worried too much about the ground wire (which appears to be made of the same material as the connector lead) as I was looking for a short and its kind of impossible to short a ground wire to ground. The ground wire is not frayed, but has badly deteriorated insulation, and I made certain it would not touch the connector wire. I could easily make up a new ground wire of the same materials I used to make up the replacement connector wire. Would that be wise?
Timing did not go well. The carb is so out of sorts that I could not get the engine to idle under 650-700 RPM, except when it was dying. So that also awaits the overhaul of the carb.
'51 Special

['51 Special]

Ray-
RockAuto has the connector lead wire, but it seems not to be listed as a part for specific vehicles. However, they do carry it as STANDARD MOTOR PRODUCTS DDL7.
'51 Special

[raycow]

Right, DDL7 is an aftermarket supplier's interchange for the GM part no. 1865978 I found online. If you look at the Rockauto page I linked, it interchanges with a bunch of different OE numbers. D1200 was the Delco replacement market number, but I don't believe that part is made by Delco any more. If it is, I couldn't find it with a search.

Delco distributors were also used in non-GM makes like Hudson, Nash, Kaiser, Willys, Studebaker, Packard, etc., so some of those part numbers on the Rockauto page aren't GM. The upper part of Delco distributors didn't change much for different makes of cars. Only the part which went down into the engine was different.

Ray

['51 Special]

Back again. Timing the ignition has been an issue. Turns out the vacuum advance is not working because the diaphragm in the vacuum control unit is shot. So I start looking for a replacement (Delco-Remy part No. 1116065), and nothing. I look for someone who rebuilds vacuum control units, and nothing. I did, however, find some listings for NOS vacuum control units on EBAY, though none with the correct part number, which appears to fit '49-'52 I-8s (248, 263, and 320), but nothing else. My questions: (1) Does anyone know of a rebuilder; (2) am I being too picky, and could I possibly just look for a unit that fits physically; and (3) Are NOS units likely to be usable, even though perhaps decades old?

[raycow]

My questions: (1) Does anyone know of a rebuilder; (2) am I being too picky, and could I possibly just look for a unit that fits physically; and (3) Are NOS units likely to be usable, even though perhaps decades old?

(1) I am not aware of any rebuilder for these things.
(2) Yes, in all likelihood. When I worked in the parts business, most of the replacement advance units we sold were "one size fits all", and no customers ever complained except the ones who didn't need an advance unit in the first place (in other words, they were trying to fix a problem by throwing parts at it in the hope that one of them would stick).
(3) Also yes, in all likelihood. Test to make sure that the plunger moves freely, and of course that it doesn't have a vacuum leak.

Ray

['51 Special]

Ray- Thank you. I will spread a wider net. '51